News on social media about a strange disease afflicting large populations of stray dogs in several parts of Old City gave anxious moments to city residents and officials alike.
The news being forwarded on WhatsApp reported dogs dying of a condition marked by severe tremors. In the past 10 days, more than 1,000 dogs are estimated to have died of this disease, the forwards said, attaching a video clip of a canine shaking uncontrollably.
Several dogs in the Gruhakalpa building are suffering from the disease, reports said, spreading panic among city residents, who have just been recovering from the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.
GHMC officials, however, dismissed the news as rumours. While they found one dog having the described symptoms, there is no evidence of hundreds of dogs dying of it, they said. “We have isolated the diseased dog in a kennel at the animal shelter in Amberpet, and requested the experts from the Veterinary Biological Research Institute to take samples for examination. Veterinarians from the Animal Husbandry department have been called upon to treat the dog, as we at GHMC are only experienced in anti-rabies vaccination and animal birth control operations,” Chief Veterinary Officer Abdul Wakeel informed.
There is no question of GHMC failing to notice death of hundreds of dogs in the city, as the Veterinary wing is responsible for removing the carcasses of the dogs, he said. “We have contracted out the removal of animal carcasses from streets, and sanitation workers would alert us about the need for such removal. There is no way we could have missed something of this scale,” Mr.Abdul Wakeel said.
Suspicions based on the available data from a single dog point to canine distemper, a viral disease dogs are prone to be infected with.
As per the American Veterinary Medical Association’s description, canine distemper is a contagious and serious disease caused by a virus that attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems of puppies and dogs. It is also found in wild fauna, including tigers and lions.
The infection is airborne, and can be transmitted by shared food, water bowls and other contacts. Infected dogs can shed the virus for months, the association’s website says.
Symptoms include ocular and nasal discharge, fever, cough, lethargy, reduced appetite, and vomiting. Complications involve attack on the nervous system and paralysis.
